Johnny in Wonderland
by redcloudedleopard
Summary: The Cheshire Cat makes the perfect companion for insight. Am I more crazy than creative? Reviews would very much help! Tried to make the characters' speech as authentic as possible. *This sort of goes hand in hand with the story "Fiery but Gently"*
1. Forest Path

Annihilus was somewhere. He had dived into this part of the forest, many many miles from the city. Johnny wondered how long he & the team had been pursuing the flying monstrosity that could camouflage fairly well against a late night sky. Unfortunately, he was cut off from the rest for now & his comm device was busted by an earlier attack. He landed in a distinct clearing that opened up into a single forest path, gasping for breath after a most arduous aerial pursuit.

A small but sharp pain tugged at his right arm. It'd be worth boiling Annihilus alive for ripping away part of his uniform like that. But a quiet stroll may gradually give him back the strength to flame on again.

When he had started, he was at the edge of a gloomy forest buzzing only with the night music of crickets. It gave him enough of the chills to get him walking at a brisk pace, hopefully to stumble upon an exit into a more open space. The claustrophobia looming over him would cease to exist if he was successful.

The path was ramrod straight; it seemed too…"unforest-like". The silent minutes passed as if there was never going to be an end to them. He made a decision to pick up the pace. As a result his breathing got louder; though his energy was waning more quickly now, there was that feeling he wasn't alone as he could hear himself quite perfectly. Don't flinch, he told himself in his mind. Reed would come, as he always did, to find me.

Still, the foliage & canopy around & above him kept extending on into the distance. As far as he could see, bluish moonlight allowed him to make out the path ahead. But his confidence level steeply dropped.

There was a noise. Much like the wind yet distinctly not of it. As he spun round to look behind him a mysterious moving mist caught his eye.

"Aaaaaahh! Stay back!"

He fired in the direction of the grey-blue mist, only to have his flames dodged by his target.

The cloudy shape vanished. Yet the uneasiness hadn't. The cool night air just didn't feel right. Plus the heebie jeebies were beginning to overwhelm him.

"_I know you're there, ugly bug!"_ Johnny shouted, _"Come out & fight, 'Annihilator'!"_'Annihilator' was the name he used to address Annihilus.

He tried his best to hear for further sounds. Funny enough, there was some sort of…purring…cutting through the forest's tranquility. He'd expected a very sudden screeching, like that of a crazed beast. A voice with a British accent startled him when the purring stopped, "It looks like you ran afoul from something of…wicked claws…"

Johnny wished he hadn't been looking up at a long, horizontal branch. A large animal rested on it, appearing as a silhouette only displaying the glow of its large sea green eyes. It wielded a grin that literally stretched to reach both his ears.

"Don't you come here, errr…ghost! Or I'll roast you!" Johnny snapped, almost paralyzed with shock.

"Ghost? What is it about me that makes me resemble…a ghost?" asked the animal in a joking manner. He leapt off the branch & hovered in mid-air, mist encasing part of its body.

"You scared me. That's what ghosts do!" Johnny replied. Involuntarily he hurled another fireball at the creature, but to no avail. This time the fireball went through it, for it had changed completely into mist in the nick of time. It reappeared right in front of Johnny, only making its head visible.

"You need to master…shall we call it…_evaporating skills_…," chuckled the animal.

Now Johnny surrendered; he was certain this wouldn't be a nice experience. Still he queried, "You're…a friendly ghost? Because I…hate…ghosts."

Unexpectedly, the creature politely introduced himself, showing off that signature grin of his again, "I am the Cheshire Cat, or Chessur, as most here call me."

"Yeah, whatever," said Johnny, "I just know you're up to something." He narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever happened a moment ago was not my fault," the animal responded, "It was certainly not my intention to spook or harm you." Johnny refused to acknowledge that verbally.

"What did that to you?" Chessur asked, gazing at the bit of tattered uniform on Johnny's right arm.

"A large bug. What's your problem with that?"

Chess was inquisitive. He vanished for a split second & appeared on Johnny's other side. "Well, I better have a look," he purred warmly despite Johnny's bluntness.

"What are you doing?" asked Johnny, making the words cold.

Chessur kept smiling, "It needs to be purified by someone _with _evaporating skills or else it will fester & putrify." Purrs rose in his throat. His whole body reappeared & he playfully spun around in the air. Johnny was still irritated.

"Not listening…I'll be fine," said Johnny.

"At least let me bind it for you?"

"Ugh."

Chessur repeated his disappearing & reappearing cycle once more, now holding a soft cloth in his paw. Slowly & gently he tied it around Johnny's wound, knotting it nicely. "What do you call yourself?" was his next question. The smile hadn't left his wide jolly mug.

"Johnny. Or the Human Torch. My fans call me that."

"Ah…you mean 'Jonah'? Or 'Jonathan'? Or 'John'?

"_Jonathan Spencer Storm._ You happy now?"

"Ah, yes….Jonathan. I think I had spotted you in the sky before you made your entrance down here…You looked much like a smouldering fire." Chessur chortled at the thought of the last sentence.

"Look, uhh…Chess. Thanks for tryin' to be helpful & all, but I'm on a mission. You can go away now & quit annoying me," Johnny waved a hand to attempt shooing the cat away.

"On the contrary, dear boy. I've always been in this part of the land._You_ were the one to enter my forest…," Chessur pointed out.

"But I admire your tenacity," he added.

"Hey, hey! I'm here for a reason, ghost kitty."

"Now, now, I never get involved in politics…let's not struggle to be better than the other," smiled Chessur.

Johnny didn't answer.

The cat finally said, "You'd best be on your way, then." He began to float away with help of the mist carrying him.

A suggestion bothered Johnny, all of a sudden. He did have this feeling that he had bottled up from his teammates, even from his own sister, Sue. Crazy as it sounded, he just wanted to share it, despite the fact he was communicating with a talking phantom cat. Chess spoke rather well & sounded like a wise old crack. Johnny had cooled down, anyway, & would take it if he had to spend a while more with the cat.

After all, Chess mentioned that he never left this place; he wouldn't be blurting out to others about everything he heard from strangers.

"Hey, Chess -"

"What is it?"

"Could you show me the way outta here?"

"Well, I do have all the time in the world…"

"I'd…like to ask you about something too."

"Fine. But that's the end of it."

Chessur vanished yet again. Johnny scrutinized his surroundings in anticipation. He grunted impatiently, containing his feeling of annoyance.

"Coming?" the cat reappeared several metres ahead of him. Johnny trotted after him to catch up.

* * *

Another chapter coming!


	2. Wisdom's Pool

"**Wisdom's ways are pleasant ways, and all its paths lead to peace…..**," Chessur voiced out. Next he said, "Speaking of 'smouldering fire', I sense & wager you have been waiting a long time to tell someone about what you're hiding."

"You got that right," muttered Johnny.

The cat hadn't ceased to manage that friendly smile.

He glided & was spinning gracefully in a seemingly nonchalant fashion, "Now, how may I help you?"

"I have a problem. With my…past, actually," replied Johnny, scratching his head whilst they both strolled along the pathway.

"I am known to be a good listener," said Chessur as he flashed his grin. He awaited Johnny's explanation very patiently; not a complaint left his lips. But his tail twitched in anticipation of an interesting tale.

They emerged from the dim 'tunnel' covered by overhead trees & arrived at a pool. The gleaming & glistening of the water, revealed to them by rays of moonshine coming down from the sky, relaxed their eyes & minds. It was the _purrrfect_ place for a conversation, Chessur thought to himself. They stopped for a rest.

"When my mom…died…when I was just a kid, things couldn't be the same again," Johnny began, "Then Dad left his job as a doctor. You know, people who help you when you're sick & stuff."

"Go on," purred Chessur, still looking happy. He asked, "Did he leave that…doctor's life…for the better?"

"Nope, he didn't. He had so much guilt; it's like it was eating him or something. He almost saved mom's life with his doctor skills but he couldn't. So he started to do pretty dangerous things. It was scary for my sister Sue & me. Then one night he was wrestling with this man whom he borrowed lots of money from. Dad didn't have enough money to give back to him, & they got into a bad fight. &….," he paused for sufficient breath, "Dad accidentally killed him.

"In the end Dad got locked away in jail, leaving me to live on with my sister. It's been rough & tough."

"Yet here you are, alive as ever," said Chessur ever so joyfully. Now his grin was amusing Johnny.

"True, but I don't do things the way I do 'cause I wanna help people or do anything nice…"

"Could you clarify, please, in case I am not following?" Chessur asked.

"Something's been chewing me on the inside. My dad was really awesome, & smart. Doctors filled their brains with endless facts & other things you don't understand. I really admired him & his life…until mom was gone. Mom was…a lot like you, really. Except for the accent, of course."

It was Chessur's turn to be amused, "Me? Coming close to being like your mother? How so?" He muted a laugh or two.

"Well, 'wise' is the word for you. Just like mom. She knew exactly what to do when things went wrong," Johnny explained, smiling, "I think I'm trying to be something I'm not. Sometimes I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I keep telling others I don't need any help with anything, unless I'm about to get kicked in the butt or something. No one knows about what I go through when I think of my parents…" His voice trailed off sadly.

He continued, "I wanna be who my father was – at the top of my game, having a problem-free life. But…I…can't. I guess I'm so caught up in being the best that practically all the time, I _pretend_ to be perfect to make sure I'm closer to becoming perfect.

"There's another thing: it's been ages since my parents were gone but I can't accept it. I'm a _madhouse_! I don't listen to Sue at all 'cause well, I'll only listen to _anyone_ if dad or especially mom were still around…I want them to be around, so that every stupid detail of this stupid life will go right!!!"

Chessur filled in, "Hmmm…your years have been destitute of the love of a parent, yes?"

"Uh, I guess so."

The cat purred before proceeding, "I suppose the emotions of your father 'trickled down' to other family members." Johnny nodded in response, "Yeah."

"First of all, Jonathan, I heard once that **no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for any service**, let alone for life, really," the cat grinned.

"Sorry Chess, you're speaking in 'alien'. I don't get you," commented Johnny.

Chessur sighed & spoke, "Don't peer into the window of your past. It is the only way your life can be said to be moving forward, let alone moving at all. You don't have to let a single event mar the joys of living." He smiled much wider upon finishing the sentence.

"There's a pity about all this…you should be looking forward to what is to come. That is how I see it, & it is how I believe life goes both in your world & in Underland." He encircled Johnny, who took in the words of wisdom, with his mist.

"_Underland_?" Johnny asked, puzzled. _More like 'Slumberland' if you asked me, _whispered his thoughts. _Okay, maybe I'm dreaming._

Then Chess drifted lazily above the surface of the pool - & pointed downward using a paw after turning around, as if motioning to Johnny to look down. "I invite you to see yourself in this pool," he seemed to instruct, flicking his tail. Johnny followed what he said without hesitation.

There was his face, the expressions of wonder & curiosity written all over it. His blue irises had a similiar glow to that of Chess's, interestingly. However, he couldn't stare too long; definitely not when he was feeling this blue. That was quite ironic since people knew him as one who loved staring into a mirror. Unbeknownst to them, he only liked behaving like that _in public_.

"Why so awkward looking into yourself?" Chessur calmly purred.

Johnny got irritated, "Can't you tell? Family resemblance. It's like they're there." Sighing loudly, he concluded, "If you knew them both, you'd know how they mattered."

"Correction: I _know_ how much they _matter_. It is in present tense."

"I hate to tell you this, but I told you - they died a long time ago!"

"They did. But they haven't!" exclaimed the cat. "He's alive, she's alive. Do forgive me if I apparently sound as if I have lost my marbles," his grin persisted.

"Listen, they're NOT ALIVE!" A hot feeling was being stirred up in him.

"Please, put a stop to your smarting, & listen. Look down again."

"It's just my reflection."

"No. Look harder. & longer."

Finally Johnny gave in. He made another attempt, & looked. He tried replacing bitter memories about Franklin & Mary Storm with the pleasant times he treasured. &…A change had taken place in what he saw. It was still himself in the water, but the image was influenced visually…just by the power of his thinking.

Right below him was his dad, mimicking his expression. He was clad in his favourite brown coat, looking handsome & smart. Johnny wanted to jump back in fright but the urge to smile was stronger. Franklin smiled as well. In the water, Mary stood beside Frank looking lovelier than ever. Funnily, she was more astounding to look at in a reflection than in person.

"You see?" Chessur cheerfully uttered, "You can be a place where they still reside - a vessel that they can work through, sort of like a temple of serenity, if you like. They are somewhere in you, waiting to be unearthed. A part of you is a part of them, which isn't your own & which you can't possibly own."

"Wow Chess, I gotta say you're amazing," admitted Johnny.

"Remember, they are alive. Not in body or in person, but nevertheless…_alive_," said the cat, "Isn't it a beautiful thought?"

"I just shared my biggest problem with a talking ghost cat," chortled Johnny.

"The Cheshire Cat," Chessur corrected him. "Shall we move on?" he requested courteously.

They left the place. Soon the forest was bathed in a brighter, softer blue light. Then they came across a large clearing with the trees opening up to welcome the moonlight to shine down. Such a spot was perfect for Johnny to take off. He exhaled & readied himself to make an exit.

"Goodbye, Jonathan Spencer Storm," smiled Chessur the last time. Approaching Johnny to let him stroke the top of his head, he said, "With my remarks, I have taught you a gist of the 'rules' of Underland. But they are rules for life, too; insight in how things work in your world & down here." A few of his purrs followed.

"Sure thing, buddy," said Johnny. With that, he uttered a "Flame on!" & blasted into the night.

But was he hearing his sister speak?

"Johnny! Get a grip on yourself!"

He surveyed the forest below without being able to make out the light of the Fantasticar or a signal. Abruptly, something shook him really hard.

"Wake up!" Sue was at it again.

Next thing he knew, blinding daylight forced its way into the picture. His eyes were shut but he now opened them. He had to blink a few times to refocus.

"You dozed off. Come on, we have work to do," barked Sue. She quickly left the room through the door. Johnny chuckled to himself & went after her, calm & collected. A whole hunk of weight was off his shoulders.

--------

If ANY part of this sounded stupid, I'm sorry! The pool idea came from The Lion King.


End file.
